The mind and body are deeply interconnected. On the one hand, our minds can have an effect on how healthy our bodies are, and on the other hand, our bodies can have an effect on our state of mental wellbeing. This is what’s meant by mind/body connection.
In the first mind-body example, the body responds to the way we think, feel, and act. Our thoughts, mental attitudes, feelings, beliefs and emotions can either positively or negatively affect our overall health and how we function biologically. Our thoughts can set off a surge of cellular reactions in ournervous system that influence the molecules in our body. Our cells regularly receive signals from our thoughts and are responding. If we repeatedly think negative self-destructive thoughts, our bodies will eventually follow suit.
On the body-mind flip side, if we feel pain sensations or experience illness in the body, this can lead us to have thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear. How we treat our physical body, the foods we choose to eat, how much exercise we engage in, and even our posture can impact our mental state, either positively or negatively. This results in a complex interrelationship between our bodies and minds.
Each mental state has a physiology associated with it, either a positive or negative effect felt in the physical body.
You have likely experienced the mind-body connection when you feel:
- Nervousness – may feel like butterflies in your stomach.
- Excitement – may feel like your heart is pounding in your chest.
- Embarrassment – may cause you to blush.
- Anxiety – may cause you to feel shortness of breath.
- Anger – may feel like your body temperature is heating up.
- Fear – may feel like your heart is racing.
- Happiness – may cause you to smile.
- Self-confidence – may cause you to stand tall.
- Insecurity – may cause you to slouch or hunch over.
There are clear connections between what is going on in the mind and heart, and what is happening in the body.
Tension can lead to headaches, stiffness, tightness, sore muscles, backaches and/or other aches and pains in the body. Being in a state of anxiety causes the production of stress hormones, which can suppress the immune system, affect the heart, digestion and nervous system, as well as set the stage for the development of infections and other more serious dis-eases such as cancer.
Physical pain or symptoms can be used as a guide to look below the surface for the root cause of the issue. Then, what really needs attention can be addressed rather than suppressed.
Our bodies are highly intelligent, capable of far more than current medical science can explain. When we accept responsibility for our own well-being, and our everyday choices are used to take charge of our health, we create balance and alignment in body, mind and spirit, resulting in fulfilling, long lasting holistic health.
We encourage you to CONNECT to your body and BREATHE through the shifts, knowing that POSITIVE CHANGE is happening.
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